Venezuela and Belarus sign oil for arms exchange deal

Euronews

President Hugo Chavez has promised to supply oil to meet the needs of the former Soviet republic for years for come, while his counterpart Aleksander Lukashenko has agreed to help strengthen Venezuela’s military. Both leaders share similar hostile stances towards Washington and as Lukashenko concluded his first visit to the country, Chavez joked that both men were wrongly labeled as “the last dictators of Europe and Latin America” by their critics.

The move is an important boost for Belarus, which is reliant on Russia for its oil and gas. Little is known about the military accord but Chavez has expressed interest in buying an air defence system.